Portrait of a Young Man

Pierre Narcisse Guérin

ca. 1810–20 · Black chalk, stumping, heightened with white chalk · Drawings and Prints

This portrait drawing of a young man in classical dress is a rarity in Guérin's oeuvre. The subject was likely one of his students, rendered here in a soft, diffuse light, with his eyes uplifted and curls of dark hair framing his face. After Guérin's death, the drawings remaining in his studio were divided between nine of his students, with instructions that they share them with other students, not named in the will. In this case, we know from the inscription on the mount that the drawing went first to Alphonse-Henri Périn (1798-1874), who then presented it to Stéphane Vignes. Other drawings from Guérin's studio are mounted on similar blue mounts and feature similar inscriptions.

Artist

Pierre Narcisse Guérin

Date

ca. 1810–20

Medium

Black chalk, stumping, heightened with white chalk

Department

Drawings and Prints

Credit line

Purchase, Charles and Jessie Price Gift, 2016